Max is a HCPC-registered biomedical scientist, as well as an FTP panel member and registration assessor.
What is your role at the HCPC and what do you do?
I work as a partner as a registrant panel member for the tribunal service and as an assessor of applications to the HCPC through the international route for registration for biomedical scientists.
In my role as a panel member, I sit on a three-person panel and make decisions on a variety of health, competence or conduct related issues with the goal of safeguarding service users, registrants, the wider public and confidence in the HCPC as a regulator.
In my role as an international assessor, I work with a partner to review bundles of information received from individuals wishing to be registered as biomedical scientists in the UK. They make their case for having met the standards and we either approve or reject these applications based on the content and further information provided. We also sometimes perform tests of competence where we asses a specific possible short fall in the information and have to determine if the applicant can meet the threshold for registration.
What do you like most about being a Partner?
I enjoy being part of the wider regulatory world for my chosen profession. It’s my way of contributing to the quality of the service that biomedical scientists provide. I’m immensely proud of my vocation and the individuals that work within the field, especially given the challenges that we face regularly. Whether we are talking about global scientific challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic or procedural issues such as funding for services and treatments there is always a new hurdle or obstacle for us to tackle as a work force. Maintaining integrity and quality within the Register is my way of contributing to that work effort outside of my “day job”.
What are the challenges?
The challenges with being a partner are usually around fitting in the expectations of the role around full time work and family commitments. Some bundles run to hundreds of pages and absorbing all the information required to make informed decisions can take time.
Tell us a surprising fact about yourself.
I lead a secret double life in December. I enjoy spending my evenings out and about with my local Roundtable club spreading a bit of holiday cheer. I can usually be found on those dark winter nights accompanying our sleigh around the local community, either playing the role of Santa on our or marshalling and collecting donations with the goal of raising money for local causes we believe in.
